In the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, southwestern Louisiana residents are now embarking on the task of cleaning and rebuilding homes damaged by winds and rains, while facing a lack of clean water and electricity.
Half a million people are still affected by power outages, which were part of the cause of most of the 16 who died during Laura's passage. More than half of them died of carbon monoxide poisoning from the unsafe use of generators.
[Laura degrades to a tropical storm after causing extensive damage and deaths in Louisiana and Texas]
The last two deaths are of two adults, 80 and 84 years old, who died poisoned by gases emanating from electricity generators.
President Donald Trump today visited some areas damaged by Laura in Texas and Louisiana. In this last state and accompanied by the democratic governor John Bel Edwards, they crossed some streets that were blocked by falling trees.
[Videos and photos show the devastation caused by Hurricane Laura in Louisiana and Texas]
"I'm here to support the great people of Louisiana. It was a tremendously powerful storm," said Trump, who said he knew that the people of that state "are going to rebuild fast."
The president was received by some followers, some of whom requested autographs. Trump granted their signature and even recommended selling them on eBay, The Washington Post reported.
"Seeing this is a great pain", affected by hurricane Laura tell their impressions
Aug. 28, 202002: 26Laura, who hit land at Category 4, is considered by authorities to be the most powerful hurricane to hit Louisiana, even more so than Katrina, which hit Category 3 15 years ago.
Although the storm was not as strong as feared, authorities continue to warn that it could be weeks before potable water and electricity services are restored, increasing the time it will take for those who evacuated to return to their homes, many of them they destroyed.
Laura left impassable roads, ripped roofs and walls off buildings, and scattered debris. The city of Lake Charles, in Louisiana, is practically impassable.
Latino families face the disasters caused by Hurricane Laura in Louisiana
Aug. 28, 202002: 27Laura also started fires at a chlorine plant in Westlake. On Saturday, crews were fighting a new fire, prompting authorities to extend a shelter-in-place order to 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) around the plant, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Quality said. been, Greg Langley.
It was at least the second fire at the BioLab plant, which makes pool chemicals, after crews extinguished another around Lake Charles. Authorities believe chemical reactions are causing the soaked products to overheat and burst into flames.